Ray Fisher stories, Page 57
Norwin softball hopes to continue momentum into second half of season
Norwin’s softball team opened the season with a tough 1-0 section loss at Seneca Valley. The Knights shook it off by winning six of their next seven, including a rousing 6-1 victory April 11 against four-time defending WPIAL champion Hempfield, which also has won three state titles in a row....
Victory at Tri-State meet helps Thomas Jefferson’s Wagner build toward WPIALs
Fresh off her banner basketball season at Thomas Jefferson, junior Molly Wagner exploded out of the gate to start the outdoor track and field season. Wagner, one of the top sprinters in the WPIAL, took first place in the girls 200-meter dash at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association outdoor championships...
South Hills notebook: Thomas Jefferson’s Territ named player of the week
Notebook items from around the South Hills: • The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its latest rankings Monday based on a vote of all 39 WPIAL coaches. Thomas Jefferson senior outside hitter Alex Territ recently was named as Class AA Player of the Week. The TJ netters are ranked...
Gateway softball competing for WPIAL playoff spot
Gateway softball was a member of Section 1-5A last year, going 8-7 and qualifying for the WPIAL playoffs. The Gators are still in Class 5A this spring but have moved into Section 2, tackling the likes of Hampton, Mars, Oakland Catholic, Penn Hills, Plum, Shaler and Woodland Hills. On April...
Gateway softball captains passionate about sport, duties
Their passion is softball. They display it regularly at practice and on the field before, during and after games. That’s just one of the reasons seniors Gionna DeLuca, Jordan Henderson and Mykaila Jackson were named captains of the Gateway softball team this season. Another is they are talented athletes. DeLuca,...
Baldwin girls relay team dazzles at South Hills Classic
Lena Barakat, Kaylee Garofalo, Devon Schroeder and Gina Bolla are tireless distance runners on the Baldwin girls track and field team. Schroeder is a senior, Barakat and Bolla are sophomores and Garofalo is a freshman. The four girls banded together to win the 3,200-meter relay at the 15th annual South...
Baldwin’s O’Malley takes 4 golds at South Hills Classic track and field meet
Brendan O’Malley is one of the most talented, dedicated and well-respected track and field athletes in the region. His athleticism was on full display April 6 at the 15th annual South Hills Classic held on a pleasant, sunny day at Baldwin Stadium. O’Malley, a senior, won four events, taking first...
Fundamental approach pays off for Norwin girls lacrosse
Norwin’s girls lacrosse team worked diligently on fundamentals last year. This season, the Knights are more fundamentally sound, splitting their first four decisions to start 2-2. “The other coaches and I are extremely pleased with the team’s performance this season,” coach Drew Polczynski said. “Because we had so many players...
East Region all-star squad wins 2019 Junior Roundball Classic
Offense was the name of the game at the Junior Roundball Classic held recently at Seton LaSalle. The East Region all-star squad won the 2019 championship, defeating the South and North in the two-night event. The two teams clicked for a total of 23 field goals from 3-point range East-North...
Sopata, Dolan return to lead Baldwin baseball team
The Baldwin baseball team is aiming to make a stronger playoff push this season despite losing 10 seniors to graduation from last year’s club. The Highlanders started out 0-4 and 1-8 in 2018, then went 5-3 down the home stretch to end up 6-11 overall. “We expect to be improved...
Yekich takes control of Baldwin boys volleyball program
Milan Yekich is in his first season as head coach of the Baldwin boys volleyball program. But his background in the sport goes back to his grade school days. Yekich started playing volleyball as a fifth-grader at St. Elizabeth. He continued his career through middle school and high school, and...
Norwin track and field teams expecting another strong season
The Norwin girls have advanced to the WPIAL Class AAA final four in track and field in 13 of the past 14 years. “The expectations for both the girls and boys are always the same,” coach Brian Fleckenstein said. “Win all the section meets, win the Westmoreland County team title,...
Thomas Jefferson athletes sign letters of intent, break records
Notebook items in and around the Thomas Jefferson High School campus: • The senior class has hit double digits. No less than 10 seniors have signed letters of intent for college, where they will continue their academic/athletic careers. They include Darius Barrett (Clarion/football), A.J. Meshanko (California, Pa./soccer), Jenna Clark (Yale/basketball),...
Registration open for new Baldwin Whitehall Youth Flag Football League
Planning began last June for the inaugural Baldwin Whitehall Youth Flag Football League. Now, it’s close to becoming a reality. The flag program is the initiative of Baldwin Whitehall Athletic Association Football and Cheer and is targeted for youngsters ages 5 to 14. Age divisions will be 7U, 9U, 11U...
TJ girls basketball revels in historic season
March Madness for Thomas Jefferson meant a trip to the WPIAL girls basketball finals and historic run to the PIAA semifinals. It was the first time the team went that deep into the state playoffs. The Jaguars finished 22-8 overall, which included 3-1 records in the WPIAL and PIAA tournaments....
Thomas Jefferson baseball starts fresh with new coach
First-year coach Tim Vickers and his staff are looking to turn around the fortunes of the Thomas Jefferson baseball program. TJ finished 6-14 last season, coming in sixth place in Section 3-5A. The Jaguars are hoping to rebound behind four returning starters. “We have been working on every single facet...
Brentwood softball team rebuilding on fly with 10 freshmen
Brentwood will field one of the younger high school softball teams in Western Pennsylvania this season. The Spartans have 10 freshmen and one first-year sophomore looking to fill the gaps made by the graduation of four seniors from last year’s playoff squad. “Our team is very young but very eager,”...
Baldwin inline hockey team wins back-to-back titles
Back-to-back. It has a nice ring. It’s what the Baldwin inline hockey team rung up in 2018-19. Baldwin won its second consecutive Pennsylvania Interscholastic Roller Hockey League HS2 title recently, defeating Pine-Richland, 2-1, in a three-game championship series. The Highlanders won Game 1 6-2, dropped the second game 2-0 and...
Hempfield’s Zoey Wilson fought through injuries to carry on family swimming tradition
One of Zoey Wilson’s goals for this season was to follow in her brother’s footsteps, but her season was plagued by injuries. Zoey Wilson, a senior on the Hempfield girls swimming team, specializes in the 200-yard freestyle. Her brother, Zane, had a decorated swimming career for the Spartans from 2013-17....
Thomas Jefferson softball team aiming high after reaching state semifinals
High expectations. After finishing as the WPIAL Class 5A runner-up and reaching the PIAA final four last season, that’s what the Thomas Jefferson softball team has for 2019. The Jaguars have dropped to 4A this season and lost only one starter to graduation. “Our expectations are always to reach the...
Thomas Jefferson hockey says goodbye to remarkable seniors
The seniors on the Thomas Jefferson hockey team wrung out heralded career numbers in their time. Counting the regular and postseason, the five seniors attained 60 wins in their careers at TJ. “That’s the highest total from any group to graduate from the program in my nine years of coaching,”...
Brentwood girls basketball had history-making season
The reconstruction project continued — and flourished — for the Brentwood girls basketball program. In her first five years at the helm, coach Rachel Thomas guided the Spartans to 15-7, 11-10, 13-9, 17-6 and 18-8 records, advancing to the WPIAL playoffs all five years. This season, Brentwood finished with a...
Baldwin softball ‘bigger and stronger than ever’
Baldwin has won four consecutive section titles in softball. The Highlanders, with new coach Gina Fuchs, expect more of the same in 2019. “Our expectation is to come out and compete every game, and to compete for a section title,” said Fuchs, who has stepped up from her assistant’s role...
Plenty of positives for Baldwin hockey team
Slowly but surely, the Baldwin hockey program is climbing up the ranks in the PIHL. “Last season, when we moved up from A to AA, we missed the playoffs by a point,” coach Justin Glock said. “This year, we made the playoffs and won our first playoff game. “Next season,...
Shaw, Weber cap special careers with Thomas Jefferson wrestling
It sounds like a distinguished law firm: Shaw, Weber & Co. Max Shaw and Alex Weber certainly have enjoyed distinguished seasons and careers with the Thomas Jefferson wrestling program. The two senior matmen advanced to the PIAA Class AAA tournament in Hershey off their performances at the recent WPIAL championships....
